


downtime; (sketch)

by aquaticflames



Series: sunset firefly [8]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Drawing, Fluff, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Lurelin Village, NOT ME FORGETTING THE TAG AGAIN.... when will i learn, all fluff no whump lets go!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:08:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29119470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquaticflames/pseuds/aquaticflames
Summary: “What other skills do people have?” Hyrule asked, curious. “There was never much to do back home so I’m decent at woodcarving.”Sky shyly leant forward. “Gardening! I was always roped into the harvest, it’s hard to avoid on Skyloft.”“Malon likes to garden,” Time shared. “Last time the cuckoos trampled her peonies I thought I was in foranotherapocalypse.”Wind suddenly gasped, swatting Twi’s arm in his excitement. “Ooh, ooh! Wild candraw!"
Relationships: Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe), kinda... he just really loves his wife and will gush about her every chance he gets okay.
Series: sunset firefly [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2115921
Comments: 19
Kudos: 213





	downtime; (sketch)

**Author's Note:**

> it's been a little while my lovelies! uni work got my very bogged down last week, but I'm delighted to have posted this one finally.  
> it loosely follows on from the [second prompt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28854786), where Wind sees Wild's hand-made cookbook - but it isn't an essential read. 
> 
> I'll still be posting more infrequently for now, but that's okay. i hope you all enjoy what I _do_ manage to put out! this one was so lovely to write. ♡

“Wait, Time- I didn’t know you could _sew._ ”

A few heads turned towards the commotion, curiosities piqued by Wind’s exclamation. Twilight and Legend’s faces were bathed suddenly in the rich orange sunset as they leaned forward past the sailor, peering at the garment resting in the tallest’s lap. 

Wild had been so relieved when they’d managed to reach Lurelin Village before sundown, the group trudging onto white sands and shaded grass banks, slack-jawed expressions all round. He’d adored seeing their appreciation for the region, having always held the opinion that it was a little-known _gem_ of his Hyrule, and Wild hadn’t been able to suppress his glee as the village children spotted him.

“Link!” Zuta cried, drawing an excited squeal from Kinov as the siblings abandoned their play beside the ocean to come running over. Wild laughed heartily, letting his pack drop to the sand so he could crouch down and catch the pair with outstretched arms and ruffle their hair over a chorus of giggles.

“Heya Link!" He’d glanced over their heads to grin at Kiana, waving enthusiastically and rising to his feet with a child clinging to each leg. Their mother tutted in reprimand. “Wonderful to see you, kid- Zu, Nova, don’t _cling!”_ She called, shaking her head fondly as Wild waddled over with a cackling child stood braced on each foot. 

“Just happy to be back, Kiana.” He smiled, chuckling once more as the children peeled away to run off down the village trail. _Boundless_ energy, they had. He turned back to their mother, grinning sheepishly. “Does Chessica have space for nine? I know it’s a big ask...”

“Goddess, _nine?_ Is it that lot over there, all travelling with you?” She asked peering around him suspiciously, gesturing towards the band of heroes with a peeling knife. 

A little ways off the path behind them, Wild’s group were gazing across the landscape- drinking in the ocean view and seabreeze. Wind was already struggling to fling off his boots, raring for a swim. Wild was just glad someone had grabbed his abandoned pack, spotting it slung over Twi’s shoulder who was watching him with open, sickly-sweet fondness.

“Yeah,” He breathed, as Sky eagerly pointed out the village's water-top trader to Hyrule and Four. “Yeah, they’re with me.”

“Well I’m sure Chessica will manage.” Kiana chortled, hand at her hip. “They look like a good bunch.”

He hummed his agreement, exchanging final pleasantries with her before regrouping with the others feeling pleased at the high-spirits radiating off them. Wind was already gone, having whisked away Four and Warriors to the waterside. 

As the remaining heroes set off past her house towards the Inn, one last shout from the village woman drew the group's focus. “Hope they’re treating you right, Link!” She hollered, staring down the tallest of the group with _steely_ ferocity before throwing him one last wave and disappearing back into her house. Twilight gulped, hesitantly glancing at a guffawing Time who clapped Wild on the back at the pleased flush creeping up his ears.

o~O~o

“Ah, good to see you kid!”

“And you!”

Wild really hoped fitting all nine of them into the little inn wasn’t going to be impossible. It truly might have been with the addition of any other travellers, but every woven mat was blessedly empty as they stepped over the threshold. 

Chessica looked as though she’d never seen so many customers in her inn at one time. “Fierce Farosh, kid! First time we see you in months, and you bring me a small _battalion_ to board? Always something new with you, Link.”

“Sorry Chess,” He apologised, glancing around and mentally working out an arrangement for the nine of them. “Do you think we’ll fit?”

“I’m sure we can make something work.”

With surprising ease, the group managed to arrange their bedrolls for the night and graciously accepted the spare pillows Chessica had stored at the front of the little hut - the only resistance being a heated debate between Hyrule and Sky over who would take the last padded mat. 

Now though, the group had retreated around the back of the small building to get dinner on the go, the nine of them settling in around Wild’s cooking pot. With the south-facing shoreline, the whole village was bathed in the low coral glow that fell just before nautical twilight, and they had all settled into the relaxed chatter and bustle that came with a guarantee of relative safety. 

“Are you darning your socks?” Legend teased, resting his chin in the palm of his hand with a smirk. Wind promptly smacked him.

“Yes, I _am,_ ” Time said, taking mock-offence with a hand held over his heart. “-And _I’ll_ be the one laughing when I have perfectly warm feet the next time we’re thrown up a mountain.”

Legend stuck his tongue out, jeering. “Yeesh, you’re so _old._ What’s next, embroidery?”

“Hey! What’s wrong with embroidery?” Warriors really did look offended at that, irked and pouting. “Embroidering’s cool.”

Overtop the veteran’s hysterical cackling, Wild heard Sky lean over to the captain with a reassuring nudge. “I think it’s cool, my Zelda embroidered my sailcloth for me.”

“Yeah, and I can cross-stitch!” Wind chipped in, beaming. “Aryll taught me. I’m not very good but it kinda translates over to repairing my clothes?”

Wild hummed interestedly, engrossed in the discussion despite keeping one eye on their paella. Just then, Kiana rounded the inn with a little butter dish, sparing an amused glance for the lively bickering before crouching down by Wild’s pot and slicing off a portion for stirring through.

“Thanks Kiana,” He beamed, letting it melt into the dish. “Sorry I had to ask. It’s been a while since I could buy any.”

“No apology needed, little hero.”

She waved it off with a wink, clapping him on the shoulder and getting to her feet just as Legend spoke again. “So who taught you to sew then? Can’t have been a _tree._ ” His face paled. “No. _Don’t say it was a tree_.”

“Stop that, it wasn’t a _tree,_ ” Their leader rolled his eye. “My gorgeous darling wife taught me.”

Kiana cheered, grinning at Time as she walked back towards her house. “That’s what I like to _hear_ , mister!” She gave Time a high five as she passed, pausing to lean on one hip and glance reproachfully at Legend. Their veteran didn’t look so cocky then. “You’d better take notes son, his missus clearly knows what she's doing.”

If Wild hadn’t been able to cover up his snort of laughter by crouching down over the steaming pot, he would have been joining Warriors and Twi on the grass _, rolling_ in glee with streaming tears. 

It was a close thing, though. Legend looked like he’d just swallowed a particularly large forkful of Hyrule’s cooking. 

With a shout of “Enjoy the meal boys!” Kiana disappeared with a bright smile, letting the chatter start back up. 

“What other skills do people have?” Hyrule asked, curious. “There was never much to do back home so I’m decent at woodcarving.”

Sky shyly announced an aptitude for gardening. “I was always roped into the harvest, it’s hard to avoid on Skyloft.”

“Malon likes to garden,” Time said, offering Sky a serene smile. “Last time the cuckoos trampled her peonies I thought I was in for _another_ apocalypse.” 

Wind suddenly gasped, swatting Twi’s arm in his excitement. “Ooh, ooh! Wild can draw! He’s really good!”

The cook’s head snapped up at the mention of his own name, owlishly blinking at the eight pairs of eyes trained on him. “W-What? Since when could I-”

“Oh yeah,” Four said, leaning against Sky’s side. “Wind told me he’d seen some sketches in your journal. Some illustrations from ages ago or something?”

Everyone was looking at him, invested. “I dunno, maybe?” He murmured awkwardly. “I haven’t really… tried it since waking up? I had the slate for taking photos I suppose.”

“But those sketches in your cookbook-” Wind prompted him, head cocked in confusion. “They were definitely yours, they were next to all your recipes.”

“I did them all a century ago.” He shrugged. Wind _gaped_ at him. 

“Well what are you _waiting for_ , then? Sketch us something!”

Okay, _now_ he was lost. “You want me to… sketch you something? But I’ve never tried!” 

Legend leaned forward, appearing genuinely curious. “But it’d be cool to see if you managed to keep the skill, right? I say go for it, not like you've got anything to lose.”

Wild hesitated, but when he finally conceded a chorus of happy cheers went up. He flushed happily, genuinely touched that so many people seemed to care about it. 

“Alright,” He said, plonking down next to Time on the edge of the group, gesturing toward the cooking pot as he set his bowl of paella down and reached for his slate to summon a pencil. “Help yourselves then.”

It was _odd_. Wild didn’t have a better word to describe it - the feeling of quickly becoming engrossed in the process. If Time hadn’t repeatedly nudged him with little reminders to keep feeding himself, Wild would have genuinely forgotten all about his food. Leant up against the back of the inn with a spare journal, the sketch strokes almost seemed to create themselves, commanding his hand rather than the other way round. 

It was relaxing, working on the outlines of his friends and increasing pressure for the darkest shadows - hatching to shade and scribbling in the grassy details. Even Time’s gaze over his shoulder every now and then wasn’t distracting. He almost wanted to reach for his slate again and crush up some pigmented supplies for a watercolour wash - but one step at a time, Wild. The idea would always be there for next time, when he could accommodate for the colour on a fresh sketch rather than shoehorning it in.

He’d been so engrossed in the piece that he hadn’t noticed dusk switch out for a navy twilight. Their fire was still going though, Hyrule and Four washing up the cookware from dinner as Twilight got started on his home-recipe bread pudding. 

Time’s low murmur brought him out of the daze. “Wow,” He breathed, leaning back on his palms to get a better view of Wild’s sketch. “Our sailor wasn’t kidding, cub.” And he smiled. “You’re a natural.”

“What?!” Wind gasped, zeroing in on Wild with a ferocious attentiveness. “Is it finished? Can we see?!”

Time gently handed the journal across to the sailor, an impressed whistle coming from Twilight as the stablehand passed the book along that had Wild raising his shoulders meekly, thoroughly embarrassed.

“I knew it!” Wind cried, gleeful. His eyes shone in the firelight as he gazed at the illustration. Sky and Warriors leaned over to get a look. “It’d take more than a hundred-year nap to knock it out of you, that’s for sure.”

They all shared the amusement in that - Time’s exasperated _‘Hundred year nap? Really, Wind?’_ drawing a cheeky grin from their sailor, tongue stuck out. 

Wild was just glad to have rediscovered something so natural to him, something so comforting. He knew that he must have adored illustrating all his recipes a century ago, and had possibly shared the same passion with Zelda on their long journeys, if her little doodles were anything to go by. The treasured looseleaf botanical drawings that he’d kept in his journal, all this time, felt far more precious to him now.

“Want some pudding, Wild?” Twi caught his attention, offering a bowl and fork his way. “I remembered to add the cinnamon you suggested from last time.”

Warmth _flooded_ him, and Wild knew then - as he accepted fragrant desert with a gracious thanks - that he’d be coming back to the high of this _perfect_ evening for quite a few nights to come.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading !! comments are always appreciated. ♡
> 
> Time Adores His Wife, and he _absolutely_ strikes me as the kind to form a terrifying alliance with another married hylian to shove it in your face.


End file.
